The blitz | A look at the good, the bad and the ugly in Friday’s game (http://www.kansascity.com/2011/08/12/3073881/the-blitz-a-look-at-the-good-the.html)

Highlight

On his first possession as an NFL quarterback, sixth-rounder Ricky Stanzi dodged defensive lineman Kyle Moore and then flipped an underhanded toss to running back Jackie Battle, who ran for a moderate gain. It wasn’t exactly a memorable play, but it did show some of the quickness and instincts that could elevate Stanzi into the backup quarterback role at some point this season.

Lowlight

Two of the Chiefs’ first two possessions ended with fumbles. Battle’s losing control of the football was discouraging because it ended what seemed to be turning into a promising drive. Kansas City’s second series ended when quarterback Matt Cassel mishandled the snap; the Bucs landed on the ball and wound up scoring a touchdown.

What we learned

Coach Todd Haley wasn’t willing to play many of his starters, even during the preseason opener at Arrowhead Stadium. He seemed to still be taking a conservative approach after the lockout-caused layoff and new league rules that prohibited free agents from practicing until a week after their teammates began team workouts. Friday was proof that Haley’s decision had consequences, but so far, the plan is working in another, more important way: the Chiefs have yet to suffer a significant injury.

Next question

Was Friday’s performance a one-week, preseason aberration or a sign of a lack of depth and talent? The Chiefs took it easy during the first two weeks of training-camp practices, and Friday was partly a result of that. The team’s first-team talent is impressive, but depth is an issue. Haley probably will turn up the intensity in practice next week, because after the preseason opener, it was clear the laid-back approach isn’t working.

The hot seat

Anyone who returned a kick for the Chiefs in the second half should consider sending a gift basket to Haley, who didn’t see many encouraging moments in the return game Friday. Neither Dexter McCluster nor Javier Arenas had a return, and next week’s game at Baltimore might be a good time to see their skills, which could elicit some hope in a problem area.

Stock watch

•GOING UP: Rookie cornerback Jalil Brown had a nice pass breakup in the end zone at the end of the second quarter. With the Bucs on the 4, Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Johnson threw toward Michael Spurlock, but Brown knocked the ball away. That play, along with another breakup by Reshard Langford, prevented the Bucs from yet another first-half score.

•GOING DOWN: Quinten Lawrence, moved from receiver to defensive back two weeks ago, had a difficult evening. Returning the opening kickoff, Lawrence chose to bring the ball out of the end zone, reaching only the 8. He later overpursued on a punt return, missing a tackle, and he looked uncertain while making a tackle later.

•STAYING THE SAME: Quarterback Tyler Palko didn’t do much to improve or hurt his chances at beginning the regular season as the Chiefs’ backup quarterback. He was occasionally accurate, but he also was occasionally indecisive and opted to scramble, which usually was an ill-advised decision.

lcarus

08-12-2011, 11:32 PM

We either need to decide whether Stanzi can be our backup quarterback this season, or we need to pick up a veteran journeyman QB to be our backup. There's 0 reason to have Palko be our backup.

L.A. Chieffan

08-12-2011, 11:34 PM

Greenwood fever baby. Catch it

thurman merman

08-12-2011, 11:39 PM

Haha, the best highlight of the entire game was a moderate gain.

Exoter175

08-13-2011, 12:20 AM

I honestly will not be surprised one bit if we end up dropping Palko and picking up a Veteran if he performs anything like he did tonight, next week.

xztop12

08-13-2011, 12:25 AM

There were a total of 2 plays ran with more than 2 wr's for us. I don't understand why he's not exploring depth at slot

xztop12

08-13-2011, 01:23 AM

I also dont really understand, there was no way any of those return guys they were testing out was gonna make the team regardless of what they did. We have breaston/arenas/mccluster already and theres no way in hell we're having a designated return guy with the new kick rule... returners are meaningless at this point

beach tribe

08-13-2011, 01:40 AM

I also dont really understand, there was no way any of those return guys they were testing out was gonna make the team regardless of what they did. We have breaston/arenas/mccluster already and theres no way in hell we're having a designated return guy with the new kick rule... returners are meaningless at this point

Haley is a huge"football shape" guy. If anyone on this team was going to snap an achilles, it wasn't gonna be our big dogs.